Category Archives: Deliberate Practice

Thinking about the Shapes

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

I attended a one-day class today where we painted using a drawing supplied by the teacher. Although the teacher wanted us to use our time to apply paint, not draw, we did do a simple value sketch before beginning to … Continue reading →

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A Vase for June Flowers

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

Today’s sketch is a variant of yesterday’s. It is a sketch of the same bouquet but with some of the leaves removed. This time I wanted to make the vase more transparent and used highly diluted paint for most of … Continue reading →

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June Flowers

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

I have wanted to learn to paint without first making guidelines on the paper. The flowers are everywhere this June and I picked a bouquet to practice with, thinking that if the parts did not fit together properly that it … Continue reading →

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Back to Cuernavaca’s Borda Garden

Posted on June 7, 2017 by

Last week I sketched one of the reflecting pools in the Borda Garden in Cuernavaca and I had to go back again today for another sketch. The garden is the kind of place that calls you; it is tranquil, harmonious and … Continue reading →

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At the Xochicalco Pyramids

Posted on June 5, 2017 by

  We went to the Archaeological Monument of Xochicalco, which features the ruins of a huge commercial and religious center of the Olmeca-Xicallanca people. There is a museum and extensive excavated ruins of what once was a very large town … Continue reading →

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Homework Time

Posted on May 29, 2017 by

This Spanish course that the five of us are taking is really great. Not only are we learning Spanish in small groups, but we also have homework. This means my four fellow students are holding relatively still this evening while … Continue reading →

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Spring Comes to The Homestead Trail

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

I took the photo that this picture is based on while biking on the Homestead Trail at Prince Edward Island National Park earlier this month. It was still pretty cold, at least to my California bones, and most of the … Continue reading →

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Dining Room in Vermont

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

I continued today to use photos as the basis of my sketch. This is from the dining room of friends who live in Vermont. I liked the look and feel of the room and thought the way the sunlight entered the … Continue reading →

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Father and Child

Posted on May 20, 2017 by

  On my second day of learning to sketch from photos I decided to do a companion piece from yesterday’s sketch, Mother and Child. I had a photo of the father cradling his sleeping baby while stretched out on the couch with … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Deliberate Practice, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Mother and Child

Posted on May 18, 2017 by

I always say I can’t draw from a photo, but I got to wondering if, after 23 months of daily sketching, if this is still true. I took so many great photos on our trip and would love to use these … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Deliberate Practice, Facial Expression | Tagged , , | 4 Comments